The Vice true crime series United Gangs of America is taking viewers inside a heated battle between the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas and a determined task force of law enforcement officers—and it’s a hard-fought story that viewers won’t forget any time soon. At the forefront of the charge was now-retired ATF agent Rich Boehning, who features in the United Gangs of America episode, and who spoke to TVBrittanyF.com about what it takes to tackle a massive organization.

“I’ve done a number of large-scale cases, but I think that the amount of success that we had is certainly unprecedented,” he explained. “One of the most difficult jobs in law enforcement is to get agencies to work together. That’s the toughest thing, because it’s a very competitive business. Getting folks to just say okay, I want to be part of this team and I want to be able to help take down this particular organization.

“We had probably over 20 some-odd agencies that were part of this task force that we assembled,” he continued. “So that, in itself, was a remarkable story—and quite frankly, I’m not sure if any of the [other] series that I’ve done on this particular case have actually captured that.”

TV audiences have heard stories, both scripted and unscripted, about law enforcement officers battling large organizations and butting heads in the process. United Gangs of America shines a light on what it actually takes to make a task force investigation successful. No matter what the agency, or who the agent is, law enforcement is as much about teamwork and legwork as it is the more dramatic elements. The best officers, like Rich, are those who can do the small things as well as the big ones.

“Putting this team together really took a lot of the leadership experience that I learned over the years, to be able to deal with these different personalities from the different agencies,” he reflected. “But I felt the same way early on as I do now. It was a remarkable case, from start to finish. Being able to collectively target this organization across the entire state of Texas and then the adjoining states was really a story that needed to be told.”

He also draws an important distinction for audiences—that the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas didn’t end up on law enforcement’s radar for their beliefs, but rather their criminal activities.

“As a cop, my perspective is enforcing the law. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a white gang, Black gang, Hispanic gang—it doesn’t make a difference. I apply the law to what it is that they’re doing. If they’re violating the law, and it’s a case that we can make as a result of that, then clearly that’s what we’re going to do… We don’t target them just for the simple fact that they’re white supremacist. We’re targeting them because they’re out there committing murders and they’re dope dealing and they’re kidnapping people and they’re beating people up. That’s the reason we go after them.”

Another element of Rich’s story that shines a light on something not often discussed in true crime is the close relationship that he built with the prosecuting attorney, David Karpel. Law enforcement is a process with many moving parts, and United Gangs of America highlights how collaboration is critical at every level.

“His wife will say, you guys are working spouses, because that’s how much time we spent together,” Rich said. “He would fly down from D.C. at least two weeks a month, if not three, and that’s how we started to put the case together… The key is having a prosecutor dedicated to the effort, and that’s one of the things that we were successful at doing [in] this particular case.”

Whether it’s bringing together officers from more than a dozen agencies, piecing together an investigation that spanned multiple states, or working closely with the prosecution, what Rich Boehning was able to do was a huge accomplishment for law enforcement—and that’s before taking into account the arrests that were made. His story is one of all the dynamics, relationships and details that are important in protecting and serving, and this episode of United Gangs of America will give viewers a better perspective on law enforcement, in addition to keeping them on the edge of their seats.

Watch an exclusive clip from the “Aryan Brotherhood of Texas” episode of United Gangs of America below, before the full episode airs tonight:

United Gangs of America airs Tuesdays at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on Vice. Photo and video credit: Courtesy of Vice Media.

Article content is (c)2020-2026 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.